This invention relates to an eating utensil for use by those with handicaps affecting the hands.
The experts in this field are extremely aware of the problems faced by individuals with hand impairments, whether of a congenital or of an acquired nature, when trying to eat.
To better understand the problems encountered in the use of a utensil in bringing food to the mouth, it is helpful to first of all briefly describe the morphology of the hand, its movements and dysfunctions.
The hand, as described in FIG. 2, has an anterior side, or palm 1, a posterior side, or dorsal 2, a medial edge 3, a lateral edge 4, and lastly a distal edge 5, from which the fingers originate; the palm is concave in the center and has slightly protruding margins. The most outstanding protrusion is found at the base of the thumb 10, said protrusion is determined by the fleshy mass of three muscles and has an elongated freshy protuberance 6, with the larger pole towards the wrist; on the opposite side is another, less outstanding protrusion 7, of an elongated elliptical shape, which corresponds to the little finger 14. These two protrusions, in proximity of the wrist, are found close together and separated by only a gentle depression 8. The palm of the hand has four folds disposed in an M form, and are: the thumb fold 9a, the fold of the fingers 9b, the longitudinal fold 9c, and the oblique fold 9d.
The dorsal side of the hand reflects, on the whole, the form of the skeleton, slightly convex in the transversal sense; the spaces between the metacarpal bones are filled by the dorsal interosseous muscles, and above the lower level run the tendons of the extensor muscles of the fingers. Regarding the length of the fingers, the thumb 10 is the shortest consisting of only two phalanges, the middle finger 12 is the longest, while the index finger 11 and the ring finger 13 are generally equivalent and the tip of these two fingers arrive at the midway point of the terminal segment of the middle finger 12, the little finger 14 terminates at the point of the second interphalangic articulation of the ring finger 13.
Regarding the movements of the fingers, it is important to clarify in precise terms, that the bending of the first segment of the finger can reach a right angle with respect to the plane of the hand; while the second segment can slightly exceed a right angle, and the terminal segment generally cannot reach a right angle bend.